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61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to Effects of polyvinyl chloride microplastics and benzylalkyldimethylethyl compounds on system performance, microbial community and resistance genes in sulfur autotrophic denitrification system
ClearUnignorable environmental risks: Insight into differential responses between biofilm and plastisphere in sulfur autotrophic denitrification system upon exposure to quaternary ammonium compounds
This study found that microplastics in wastewater treatment plants collect more antibiotic resistance genes and disease-causing bacteria on their surfaces than regular biofilms, especially when exposed to common disinfectant chemicals. The plastic surfaces act as hotspots where dangerous bacteria gather and share resistance genes more easily. This raises concerns that microplastics leaving treatment plants could spread antibiotic-resistant infections into the environment.
Microplastic biofilm may shape microbial community enriched with antibiotic resistance genes to enhance nitrogen transformation under antibiotic stress
This study found that biofilms growing on PVC microplastics in water helped remove nitrogen pollutants but also concentrated antibiotic resistance genes, with the same bacteria often carrying both pollution-cleaning and drug-resistance capabilities. The findings raise concerns that microplastic pollution in waterways could accelerate the spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, which poses a growing threat to human health.
Microplastics enhanced the resistant genes spread under disinfectant replacement exposure in partial nitrification-anammox systems
Researchers investigated how alternating disinfectant exposure affects the spread of antibiotic resistance genes on microplastic biofilms in wastewater treatment systems. They found that switching between different disinfectants increased the risk of resistance gene transmission, with PET and polyethylene microplastics serving as vectors for both resistant bacteria and nitrogen-removing microorganisms. The study raises concerns that microplastics in wastewater systems may accelerate the spread of antimicrobial resistance under common disinfection practices.
Fates of extracellular and intracellular antibiotic resistance genes in activated sludge and plastisphere under sulfadiazine pressure
Researchers found that microplastics in wastewater treatment systems act as reservoirs for antibiotic resistance genes, with the plastic surfaces (plastisphere) harboring more resistance genes than the surrounding sludge. When exposed to the antibiotic sulfadiazine, the spread of resistance genes on microplastic surfaces increased, and DNA from potential pathogens was detected. This suggests that microplastics leaving wastewater treatment plants could carry drug-resistant bacteria into waterways, posing a risk to public health.
Microplastics shape microbial interactions and affect the dissemination of antibiotic resistance genes in different full-scale wastewater treatment plants
A study of three full-scale wastewater treatment plants found that microplastics were associated with increased spread of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), with microplastic surfaces appearing to facilitate microbial interactions that promote ARG transfer. This is a significant public health concern because wastewater plants that fail to fully remove microplastics may also be inadvertently accelerating the dissemination of antibiotic resistance into receiving waterways.
Contribution of microplastic particles to the spread of resistances and pathogenic bacteria in treated wastewaters
Researchers studied microplastic particles collected from treated wastewater effluents and found that MPs harbored significantly higher loads of antibiotic resistance genes and pathogenic bacteria compared to surrounding water, suggesting MPs facilitate their environmental spread.
Responses of bacterial communities and resistance genes on microplastics to antibiotics and heavy metals in sewage environment
Polyvinyl chloride microplastics in sewage enriched pathogenic bacteria and antibiotic resistance genes on their surfaces, and the presence of heavy metals and antibiotics altered but did not eliminate this enrichment over time. The findings suggest microplastics in wastewater environments could facilitate the spread of antibiotic resistance through the microbial community.
Growth and prevalence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in microplastic biofilm from wastewater treatment plant effluents
Researchers studied antibiotic-resistant bacteria growing in biofilms on microplastic surfaces in wastewater treatment plant effluent. The study found that microplastic biofilms accumulated antibiotic-resistant bacteria including Pseudomonas, Aeromonas, and Bacillus, and that these biofilms harbored higher concentrations of resistance genes compared to surrounding water, suggesting microplastics may serve as reservoirs for antibiotic resistance.
Microplastics exhibit accumulation and horizontal transfer of antibiotic resistance genes
Researchers investigated whether microplastics in wastewater treatment plants can accumulate and spread antibiotic resistance genes. They found that bacteria growing on microplastic surfaces in treatment tanks harbored antibiotic resistance genes and transferred them at higher rates than bacteria in the surrounding water. This suggests microplastics in wastewater systems may serve as hotspots for spreading antibiotic resistance, posing potential risks to both ecosystems and human health.
Antibiotic resistance genes and virulence factors in the plastisphere in wastewater treatment plant effluent: Health risk quantification and driving mechanism interpretation
Researchers found that microplastics in treated wastewater carry significantly more disease-causing bacteria, antibiotic resistance genes, and virulence factors on their surfaces compared to the surrounding water. This means microplastics released from wastewater treatment plants into rivers and lakes could spread antibiotic-resistant infections, posing a direct risk to communities that rely on these water sources.
Different microplastics distinctively enriched the antibiotic resistance genes in anaerobic sludge digestion through shifting specific hosts and promoting horizontal gene flow
Researchers examined how polyethylene and polyvinyl chloride microplastics affect antibiotic resistance genes during sewage sludge digestion and found that both plastic types promoted the spread of resistance genes, but through different mechanisms. Polyethylene surfaces attracted specific bacteria that carry resistance genes, while PVC promoted horizontal gene transfer between organisms. The study raises concerns about wastewater treatment plants becoming hotspots for antibiotic resistance when microplastics are present.
Microplastics accelerate nitrification, shape the microbial community, and alter antibiotic resistance during the nitrifying process
Researchers found that adding microplastics to wastewater treatment systems actually sped up nitrification (a key step in processing sewage) but also promoted the growth of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Even biodegradable PLA plastics, often considered more environmentally friendly, significantly increased antibiotic resistance genes. This study warns that microplastics in wastewater systems could be accelerating the spread of antibiotic resistance, a major public health threat.
Decoding the microplastic Micro-interface: a complex Web of gene transfer and pathogenic threats in wastewater
Researchers used metagenomics to study how microplastic surfaces in wastewater treatment systems serve as hotspots for antibiotic resistance genes and pathogenic bacteria. They found that microplastic micro-interfaces supported more robust microbial networks and facilitated horizontal gene transfer of resistance and virulence genes more actively than surrounding environments. The study suggests that microplastics in wastewater may accelerate the spread of antibiotic resistance and increase pathogenicity risks.
Antibiotic-driven shifts in bacterial dynamics of the polyethylene terephthalate and low density polyethylene plastisphere in wastewater treatment systems
Researchers studied how antibiotic exposure shifts the bacterial communities colonizing PET and LDPE microplastic surfaces in activated sludge from wastewater treatment plants, finding that antibiotics altered plastisphere microbial composition and increased antibiotic resistance gene prevalence.
Microplastics as hubs enriching antibiotic-resistant bacteria and pathogens in municipal activated sludge
Researchers demonstrated that microplastics in municipal wastewater treatment plants act as "hubs," selectively concentrating antibiotic-resistant bacteria and pathogens in their surface biofilms, with antibiotic-resistance genes enriched up to 4.5-fold compared to sand particles — raising concerns about microplastics spreading drug-resistant microbes into the environment.
Impacts of disinfectant and antipyretic on aged ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer microplastics in hospital wastewater: Resistance genes, microbial community and carbon source metabolism
Researchers examined how two common hospital chemicals — a disinfectant (benzethonium chloride) and a painkiller (acetaminophen) — affect the microplastic particles made of ethylene-vinyl acetate that end up in hospital wastewater. Aged EVA microplastics exposed to these chemicals became better carriers for antibiotic resistance genes and promoted more microbial colonization than fresh plastics, raising concerns about hospitals as sources of resistance gene spread through microplastics. This highlights a under-studied pathway by which microplastics in healthcare settings could contribute to the global antibiotic resistance crisis.
Enhanced propagation of intracellular and extracellular antibiotic resistance genes in municipal wastewater by microplastics
Researchers investigated how microplastics in municipal wastewater can carry and promote the spread of antibiotic resistance genes, including those found both inside and outside bacterial cells. They found that microplastics adsorbed both types of resistance genes and enhanced their transfer between bacteria through horizontal gene transfer. The study reveals that microplastics in wastewater systems may act as an underappreciated accelerator of antibiotic resistance spread.
Microplastic biofilms in water treatment systems: Fate and risks of pathogenic bacteria, antibiotic-resistant bacteria, and antibiotic resistance genes
This review examines how microplastics in drinking water and wastewater treatment plants develop biofilms that harbor dangerous bacteria and antibiotic resistance genes. The biofilm-coated microplastics can protect pathogens from disinfection processes, allowing them to survive treatment and potentially reach tap water. This raises concerns about microplastics serving as vehicles for antibiotic-resistant bacteria in our water supply.
From Interface to Cell: The Complex Interaction and Transfer Process Coupling Mechanism between Microplastics and Antibiotic Resistance Genes
Researchers examined how microplastic surfaces act as vectors for spreading antibiotic resistance genes in wastewater treatment systems. The study found that aged microplastics of PET, PE, and PP promoted bacterial adhesion, enhanced horizontal gene transfer, and triggered overproduction of reactive oxygen species, ultimately amplifying the spread of antimicrobial resistance through multiple molecular mechanisms.
The stress response of tetracycline resistance genes and bacterial communities under the existence of microplastics in typical leachate biological treatment system
Researchers studied how polystyrene and polyethylene microplastics affect tetracycline resistance genes and bacterial communities in a leachate biological treatment system. They found that microplastics served as hotspots for antibiotic resistance genes, with biofilms on the plastic surfaces harboring significantly higher gene abundances than the surrounding liquid. The study suggests that microplastics in waste treatment systems may accelerate the spread of antibiotic resistance.
Plastisphere enhanced resistance genes propagation in sulfur autotrophic/heterotrophic denitrification system under mixed quaternary ammonium compounds pressure
A laboratory wastewater treatment study found that microplastic surfaces — particularly those of biodegradable polylactic acid plastics — create enriched "plastisphere" communities that accumulate and spread antibiotic resistance genes more aggressively than the surrounding biofilm, especially under the additional stress of quaternary ammonium compound disinfectants. The biodegradable plastic appeared to provide extra carbon and energy to microbes, inadvertently turbocharging resistance gene proliferation. This challenges the assumption that switching to biodegradable plastics in wastewater systems is straightforwardly beneficial.
Fragmented Microplastics Synergize with Biological Treatment To Potentiate Antibiotic Resistance Dissemination during Sewage Treatment
Researchers used metagenomic sequencing and high-throughput qPCR across a full sewage treatment chain to show that fragmented microplastics preferentially concentrate clinically relevant antibiotic resistance genes, with MP-bound genes contributing up to 43% of intracellular resistance genes detected in treated effluent, and Acinetobacter emerging as a key resistance indicator.
Interactions of microplastics, antibiotics and antibiotic resistant genes within WWTPs
This review examined the interactions between microplastics, antibiotics, and antibiotic resistance genes within wastewater treatment plants, analyzing how MPs serve as carriers for antimicrobial compounds and facilitate the spread of resistance in microbial communities.
Effects of polyvinylchloride microplastics on the toxicity of nanoparticles and antibiotics to aerobic granular sludge: Nitrogen removal, microbial community and resistance genes
Researchers examined how PVC microplastics affect wastewater treatment systems that also contain copper oxide nanoparticles and the antibiotic ciprofloxacin. They found that low concentrations of microplastics actually reduced some toxic effects of the other pollutants, but higher concentrations worsened nitrogen removal efficiency and increased antibiotic resistance genes. The study highlights the complex ways microplastics can alter the behavior of other contaminants in water treatment.